


The Tooth About Noah

by Skyhigh_Imagination



Category: Total Drama (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:53:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24619405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyhigh_Imagination/pseuds/Skyhigh_Imagination
Summary: "Duh, I'm The One Who Leaked The Story About Noah's False Teeth!"-Sierra, Total Drama Manhunt.After an encounter in Middle school, Noah's Had a Secret; He Has Partial Dentures.See how this secret helped build a friendship, only to jeopardize it.
Comments: 28
Kudos: 55





	1. A No-Good-Smirk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah's Best childhood memory is that time he made The Scool Bully Cry at Assembly.   
> It Was Pure Coincidence that His Worst Followed Shorty After.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's My Noah Has False Teeth Fic.  
> Yay.

Middle School Sucks.

The Only Thing that Sucked More was Middle School Assembly’s.

This was the conclusion Noah had come to as he waited for his peers to file into the auditorium. He sat hunched forward with his chin placed in his hand; eyes focused on nothing, as he watched with disinterest. Noah sat on the end of the bleachers, so that he was closest to the stairs for a quick and easy departure when this was finally done. 

He let out a sigh as his patience wore thin. Noah looked around, bored, when his eyes landed on a particular classmate of his. 

Adam was tall and stocky, his face covered in blemishes. He Wore glasses and had short black hair. He was in Band and a star member of the robotics team. He was a straight A Student, and Noah knew all of this because the kid Never Shut Up. Which was Extra annoying, because the sound of his voice grated on even the kindest ears. 

Noah tried to stop himself from groaning as the boy sat next to him, only separated by the stairs. “Hi, Noah!” Adam smiled, revealing the gap in his teeth. 

Noah ignored the greeting, deciding to stare at the different banners hung around the room.

“This is so Exciting,” Adam continued, though it didn’t seem anyone was listening, “The Drug Assembly is always The Best Assembly, Right?” 

Noah disagreed on principle. Every Assembly Was Boring. They were a waste of time and meant stuff that could have gotten done today would have to wait. It Was Stupid. 

Though, Noah had to admit last year's Drug Assembly was pretty neat, since they brought someone in from the K9 unit. Noah doubted they’d do it again, though, since they didn’t have them in 6th grade. 

Noah didn’t engage with Adam; No One who cared about their Reputation engaged with Adam.

It Was Social Suicide.

The only people who talked to Adam were Dweebs on equal footing with him, and Dirt-Bags with nothing else better to do. 

One such Dirt-Bag was making his way over. 

Ryan had a curly mullet of Orange hair, and Green eyes that held little behind them. He wasn’t any bigger than Adam, but they both had quite a bit of height on Noah. Not that that mattered, since anytime Ryan tried to pick on him, Noah would shut him down with ease. A benefit to being the smartest person in the room.

Not that there was a lot of competition.

“Move it, Lame-o.” Ryan directed Adam, who frowned in response.

“Sorry to say it, but I was here first, so you’ll have to sit somewhere else.” 

The kid stood his ground, Noah respected that.

“I wasn’t Askin’.” Ryan leant into Adams face as he cracked his knuckles.

“Oh, come off it, Ryan.” Noah rolled his eyes, before turning to the bully, “What are you gonna do if he doesn’t? Hit Him? In Front of  _ Every  _ Teacher?” Noah smirked, “I Knew You Were  _ Stupid, _ But I Didn’t Think It Was  _ That  _ Bad.”

Ryan growled, “Shut Up! Ain’t Nobody Talkin’ To You!”

Noah raised a brow, “ ‘Ain’t Nobody Talkin To You’ ?” He rolled his eyes, “Wow, Ryan, What a  _ Stellar  _ Comeback! What  _ Wit! _ Ah, man, You Really Shut Me Up.”

Ryan nodded, victorious, as he returned his attention back to Adam. He then flipped back around, glaring at Noah, “That Was Sarcasm!”

Noah elbowed the kid next to him, “Would You Look At That! He Does Have A Brain!” Noah’s smirk remained proudly on his face, “I Gotta Say, I’m Shocked.”

The kid next to Noah let out a snort, as Ryan's frustration grew more intense. Ryan searched his mind for some kind of retort, scanning Noah's body for something he could attack. “Whatever, Like I Care what Some Nerd in a Dorky Vest thinks!” 

Noah glanced down at his argyle sweater vest and frowned, before turning back to his target, “I Guess that makes us even.” 

Ryan's proud smile vanished as he glowered down at the boy, “What Was That ?”

“Oh it’s, Just,” Noah pointed down at Ryan's shoes, “I Don't Know How  _ Anyone  _ Can Take You Seriously in Those…”

Ryan huffed, “Yeah Right! Wheelys Are Rad!”

Noah raised his hands in defense as he spoke, “Sure, Sure, And I’m Sure We’d All Be SUPER Impressed by them…..  _ IF  _ You didn’t get the Wheels Confiscated on The First Day Of School.” Noah gave Ryan a pity filled look, “Now they’re just Shoes with holes in the heel. Kinda Pathetic.” 

The kids that sat around them started whispering amongst themselves as they watched on, fueling Noah's ego. Ryan shuffled nervously as he tried to come up with a rebuttal, but Noah beat him to it, “Why Don’t You Just Use Those ‘Rad’ Shoes of Yours, and Ride Off Somewhere Else.” Noah brought a faux apologetic hand to his mouth before he corrected himself, “I Mean  _ Walk.”  _

Ryan pushed aggressively into Noah’s face, through gritted crooked teeth he growled, “You Think You’re  _ SOOOOOO  _ Cool, Don’t You! Well-” Before he could finish Noah Cut him off.

“Correction,” He pointed at him, “ _ You  _ THINK Those Second Rate Shoes of Your’s are ‘Cool’” Noah Smirked, gesturing to himself, “I, On the Other Hand, KNOW that I’m Cool.” 

Ryan’s face screamed frustration as he continued to stare at Noah, “What? Was This Conversation Too Mentally Challenging For You? Did It Hurt Your Head? Maybe you Should Find Somewhere to sit and Rest… Oh! But Watch where you Step. Wouldn’t want to get something stuck in your Very Cool Shoe Hole.”

Noah's smirk shone proudly, as this all became too much for Ryan. The mixture of shame and rage poured out of his eyes. 

“WOAH! RYAN’S TOTALLY CRYING!” The kid who sat in front of Noah exclaimed. It wasn’t long that the whole area burst into mocking laughter, causing Ryan to flee the auditorium just before the assembly began. Noah once again reigned victorious over the boy; his pride continued to radiate from his smirk as the others said their praises. This was pretty Great.

But of course Noah can't have Nice Things. 

A teacher approached where they sat, “What Happened Over Here?”

Everyone's Laughter began to stifle as they all silently agreed to not snitch this day.

Everyone Except a Certain Dweeb Who Was Notorious For Never Being Silent.

“Noah Made Ryan Cry!” Adam Cheerfully explained, “It Was CRAZY! You Should have Seen It!”

Everyone groaned as the teacher moved her eyes onto Noah, disappointment covering every inch of her face. “Noah. Is That True.”

He Shrugged.

She reached into her pocket, pulling out a notebook, before scribbling into it and handing a torn slip to Noah. 

Principal's Office.

Noah frowned at the slip, before looking up at the teacher, “So, do I go after the assembly, or-”

“The Vice Principal should be there to deal with any….” She searched for the polite words, “Student Born Problems”

“Lucky Me.” Noah muttered as he stood from his seat.

Just as he thought that his day had turned sour, he heard his peers mutter their praises. A few even offered their high-fives as he made his way down the stairs. Noah felt like he was on top of the world; he was used to this amount of unbreakable hubris, but never had his Ego matched. Walking with a new found confidence in his step, he passed the Principal as she spoke grumpily into her phone, “What do you mean he couldn’t make it? The Kids LOVED The K9-Unit Portion Last Year!”

Noah’s confident smile only grew wider with the confirmation that he wouldn’t miss anything cool, as he pushed past the auditorium doors. 

This wasn’t so bad! He made a Jerk Cry; Everyone Loves Him; He got Out of The Assembly, and if He’s Lucky he’ll be able to sit around the Waiting Area and Work on some Homework! The only downside was his parents wouldn’t be thrilled about all of this, but all Noah would have to do to fix that is turn on the water works. With properly timed tears, He could probably get away with murder.

Noah smirked, pleased with these events, as he turned down the hallway with the intent to stop at his locker. Instead, he was stopped  _ Against  _ a locker. 

Wincing from the shock of the impact, Noah found his bearings to look up at his assailant. It was a red faced, and puffy eyed Ryan, who was still sniffling back tears. “WHO DO THINK YOU ARE FOLLOWING ME?!?” His angry shouts echoed in the unhearing hall, “HADN’T YOU HAD ENOUGH?!”

Noah tried and failed to hold back a laugh, “Me? Last I checked  _ You  _ Were the One Who Ran Off Crying.” Noah tried shrugging Ryans hands off his shoulders, before quickly realizing just how much stronger he was compared to him. “Besides,” Noah continued, “I’m  _ Not  _ Following You. I’m getting my Binder from my Locker so I Can do Something Productive. A Forien Concept To You, I Know.” He smirked.

Ryan Slammed Noah against the hard metal of the Locker Covered Wall, before gripping the collar of his button up shirt and raising him off the ground. Noah instinctively grabbed hold of Ryan's arms in some reflexive yet feeble attempt at self defense, as the larger boy growled his threats, “One Of These Days Someone's Gonna Knock That No Good Smirk CLEAN Off Your Face!” 

Noah laughed, a little surprised the situation has escalated like this, but still confident in his ability to escape unscathed. “And Let Me Guess,” His smirk remained unfaltered, “You’re Gonna Be The One To Do It?”

Ryan glared at Noah, fuming, as he tightened his grip on the smaller boy's collar.

“Is That What You’re Doing, Ryan? You’re Gonna ‘Knock My No Good Smirk Off My Face?’” Noah looked down at Ryan like he had just beaten him in the easiest game of chess, “Gonna Hit Me? Gonna Punch Me Right In The Middle Of School? Go On, Bone-Head, Hit Me! Get Expelled. It’ll Do The Rest Of Us a Favor - No More Looking At Your Ugly Mug.” 

That last part probably wasn’t necessary, but He was on a roll. His smirk shined down on Ryan, like the Hot Summer Sun that somehow always got in your eyes. If the Sun could smirk, it would look like this; that is, if the Sun also thought it was better than you. That's what Noah’s Smirk was; him broadcasting to the world just how much Better he was than you. 

That’s what Ryan figured at least, in reality it was more a sign of his assurance that he can arise from any situation, unharmed.

Well, He Was About To Be Proven Wrong.

The last thing Noah remembered was Ryan lifting up his fist. 

The doctors think the pain knock him out


	2. Human Teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years later, Noah's 16 and a Contestant on the new reality show Total Drama Island. The Last Thing he wants is For The other Campers, And The People Watching At Home, To Find out His Tooth Based Secret.  
> He's figured that's Where his Concerns end, But He's About To Find Out It Wasn't Just Ryan's Fist that Hit Hard.

Though it was technically morning, the Sun had yet to rise.

How Noah Envied It.

Noah stood at the sinks in the communal bathroom, carefully applying the pink paste on top his dentures. As he did so he ran his tongue over where his front teeth once were.

Looking back onto the incident that got him here; Noah didn’t think Ryan was going to be so _literal_ with the whole _“Knocking His No Good Smirk Off His Face”_ thing, but he should have known figurative language would have been lost on that idiot.

He sighed as he maneuvered the false teeth into place. You think he would have learned to Keep His Mouth Shut since then. Though he has kept his mouth shut more frequently since, it was more akin to how the Atlantic Ocean was Smaller than the Pacific. 

That’s Still A Lot Of Water.

As he snapped his top dentures into place his mind wandered to his arrival on the island. It didn’t take him long to find trouble; almost immediately ticking off some criminal, Who, in Noah’s Defense, Totally Started It.

Noah recalled the flash of fear he felt as the delinquents hand rushed towards his face, only to be washed with relief when it stopped just short of making contact. Sure, the guy grabbed Noah’s Lower Lip, But he Could Handle That.

Noah moved onto preparing his bottom set of dentures. He supposes he should feel lucky that he only needs _Partial_ Dentures opposed to the full one his Nana needs. He Should Feel Lucky That His Back Teeth Are Intact.

He Didn’t Feel Lucky.

That feeling continued when the door swung open, startling Noah into dropping his denture (Just The One) to the scummy floor. 

His Denture That He Had Just Applied Adhesive To. 

His Denture That Now Were Covered With Hair And Other Disgusting Bits Left By His Fellow Campers.

Awesome. 

Noah didn’t have time to give it the repulsed reaction it deserved, as he pushed the dropped teeth underneath the sinks, something he would definitely regret, and whipped his head to the open door.

There stood his teammate, Izzy, Who stared at him intently, before poking her head outside. He took this opportunity to shove his Dental paste and Denture Case into his blue bag, where he kept all of his hygiene supplies.

Noah turned back to the sound of laughing, worry covering every inch of his body. Izzy approached him, giggling, “I Totally Forgot The Bathroom Was Co-ed! I Was So Confused!” She laughed.

Noah hummed in response.

She smiled at him, before turning to the sink and placing a plastic baggy with travel toothpaste and toothbrush onto the counter, “What Are You Doing Up?” she said.

Noah gulped. He was certain if he opened his mouth she’d notice his lack of bottom teeth and-

His Bottom Teeth.

They Were Under The Sink.

On The Floor.

_The Bathroom Floor._

Noah's face must have broadcasted his registering disgust, because Izzy nudged him saying, with her toothbrush dangling from her mouth, “Hey, Dude You Alright?”

He shook his thoughts from his head before nodding with a thumbs up. 

“Alright…” Izzy lost interest in the one sided conversation, turning to her reflection.

Noah stayed standing stiffly and stationary. He didn’t know what to do from here. Should he leave like he had finished, and come back once Izzy left for his fallen teeth. But How Long Was She Planning To Take? People Would Wake Up Soon Enough, And Then What Would He Do? 

Should He Just Pick Them Up Now And Prepare Himself For The Ridicule? On National Television? 

No.

He Should Just Leave Right?

But The Longer His Teeth Sit The More Rancid They Become. The Longer He’ll Need To Scrub Them.

Izzy’s Just One Person. He Might Be Able To Convince Her Not To Say Anything. 

The Bathroom Door opened once more, Now letting in the Orange light of Sunrise, and Noah Felt his Body Dieing.

Eva did little to acknowledge the others, walking straight the sink furthest from Izzy and retrieving her tooth brush from her bag.

People Were Waking Up.

He Had To Do Something.

Noah glanced at Izzy, who was currently scrubbing the back of her tongue. He bent down to get his teeth, covered in lint and hair and germs and He’s Gonna Barf. 

Noah took a deep breath to maintain his composer, before grabbing what he came for. Once he stood back up again he turned the hot water on and brought his teeth under the faucet. He covered the dentures with soap and scrubbed profusely. He eased a little when he heard Eva leave, feeling safety in no one noticing him.

But, of course, Noah can't have Nice Things. 

Izzy stuck her face right next to Noah’s, Curly Orange hair Bouncing with the movement. Their Cheeks were pressed against each other, and she was Beaming With Interest, “WOAH! Are Those Human Teeth?? Can I See!” She reached out, causing Noah to recoil away, holding his denture close to his chest.

“What? No?!? “ He stared at her, baffled, and mouth agape.

Before he could realize his mistake, Izzy pushed herself into Noah’s face, gripping the top of his head with one hand and his chin with the other. She gasped in amusement, “Dude! What Happened To Your Mouth????!!!!” She said, as she peered closer, Green eyes Scanning his mouth with interest. 

Noah Did Not Answer Her. 

He wouldn’t have even if his Mouth wasn’t being forced open. He tried to shake her hands off him, before quickly realizing just how much stronger she was compared to him.

Noah's heart raced as he instinctively gripped Izzy’s arms in a feeble way to fight back, attempts the girl wasn’t even fazed by as she continued to examine his mouth, asking questions that he couldn’t hear as a primitive sense of fear took hold of him. 

This Was Familiar.

This Was Too Familiar.

He wanted To Call Out But He Couldn't Find His Voice.

It wasn’t until Izzy moved her hands from where they gripped his skull that Noah finally started to calm down. She moved the one that was atop his head to his shoulder, as she brought the one that had gripped his chin up to gingerly wipe a tear he didn’t know had fell, “Are You Okay?” she asked, with shocking tenderness.

It was then that Noah realized that his cheeks were very damp. He pushed away, before turning his back to her and using his hands to wipe away his drying tears. “ _I’m_ _Fine_.” He spoke bitterly.

There was a moment of silence before Noah stiffened;

His Hands Were Empty.

He searched the ground frantically, only to discover Izzy had knelt down and was retrieving his denture. Before he could swipe them from her, she held them out carefully, “Here’s Your Human Teeth.”

He took them from her, “... Thanks.” he cringed at how the ‘s’ fumbled out without his bottom set. 

There was a beat of awkward silence before she spoke again, “Do You Want Me To Watch The Door So You Can Clean Those?”

Noah stared at her. He wasn’t sure how they got here, but he was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He approached the sink, “Yeah. Thank You.” He didn’t look at her as he began running his teeth under the water.

Izzy walked over to him to retrieve her things, and then she turned to make her way out. She was stopped by Noah’s Voice, “Don’t, uh, Don’t Tell The Others About This.” He pushed past how poorly enunciated his ‘S’s were, “Any Of It.” He glanced over to her, with pleading eyes.

Izzy nodded and smiled, and thus, was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

And That Was That.

...

That Should Have Been That.


	3. Come Cry With Us!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Year after Island ended, Noah was brought Back On the Show for Total Drama World Tour.  
> He would Never Admit it, But he Was Happy To See His Friends Again.  
> Well, He Was Happy until He Found out What One Of Them Got Up To While They were Apart...

This Plane Sucks.

The Only Thing that Sucked More was Middle Aged Lunatic That Stuck Them on It.

This was the conclusion Noah had come to as he soared through the skies along with his fellow competitors. He sat hunched forward with his chin placed in his hand; eyes focused on nothing, as he watched with disinterest. Noah sat next to Owen, who was currently sleeping; Owen tried to nap through most of the flight in an attempt to keep his nerves, which meant Noah was Stuck in Boredom For Most Of The Journey. 

He let out a sigh, as what little joy he had Drained. Noah looked around, bored, when his eyes landed on a particular Competitor. 

Sierra was watching him, Like he was an Animal in a Zoo. Like an Animal she had read up on and had all the facts, but had never Seen in person. She watched him almost disappointed, like something was off from what she knew. 

They were just leaving the Amazon, and this was the First time Noah had To Share a Cabin with The Uber-Fan, And Thus Far, He Was _Not A Fan._

Noah had Hoped That her Obsession would Have Ended With Chris and Cody, but He was Quickly finding out He Was Wrong. He fidgeted a little under her intense gaze, changing how he sat. 

“Hi, Noah!” Sierra tried to break the ice, smiling at the nerd, though it did little to bring him ease.

Noah ignored the greeting, he instead peered over his sleeping friend toward Tyler and Alejandro, who were both preoccupied by their own discussion. He could try to join in to escape this situation, but He didn’t want to Talk to Them Either.

“Wha’cha Thinkin’ about?” Sierra Continued.

Noah glanced towards the confessional, he Had watched Cody go in to place his vote, but He Hasn’t Seen Him Come Out. 

He Can Understand Why.

Noah let out a sigh, before turning to the girl, whose eyes had never left his frame. “What Do You Want.” He tried to sound indifferent in spite of his crawling skin.

“I Just Wanted To Let You Know, That You Can’t Even Tell.”

Noah stared at her, perplexed.

“I Thought it’d Be More Obvious In Person, But It Totally Isn’t!”

At this point the background noise of the other conversations had stopped, and Noah felt their Eyes on him. 

He Hated That. 

He Hated People Watching him. It Was Different When You Were on Camera and Couldn’t See The People, but When They Were With You. Judging You In Real Time... 

He Couldn’t Bare It.

Noah tried to Keep his Composer, “What are _You Talking_ about?”

Sierra pointed to her mouth innocently, “Your Teeth. I Can’t Even Tell!”

Noah stared at her as He felt his Heart Drop To His Shoes. His World had Stopped so Suddenly that the force had flung him Into The Sun. The Fiery Heat Consumed Him As All The Planets gawked In Judgement.

Noah Was Certain He Was Dying.

His Mouth Was Dry, and His Throat Was Scratchy.

He Couldn’t Speak.

He Was Frozen.

Like a Dweeb.

“What Are You Talking About, Sierra?” Heather pressed with cruel curiosity, Malice oozing from every syllable.

“Noah’s False Teeth?” The ‘Duh’ went unsaid, “It Was My Top Story On My Noah Blog!”

Noah Slammed His Hand Against His Mouth.

Blog? _Noah_ Blog? Why Would Anyone Have That?

Top Story? How Did She Even Know? Who All Knew?

Noah Felt Himself Spiraling. 

How Did She Know?

He Was Sweating.

He Felt Sick.

HOW DID SHE KNOW?

Heather turned to Noah, smiling like the Devil, “False Teeth?” she made some sort of amused sound that wasn’t Quite a Laugh, “So Let Me Get This Straight. Not ONLY Do You _Dress_ Like A Grandpa, But You _Also_ Have _Dentures_ Like One, _T_ _oo?_ ”

The others stifled their giggles as they turned to Noah. 

Staring.

Usually an insult towards his looks wouldn’t bother him, or at least he could bite back. But instead of biting back or remaining unbothered, Noah grabbed onto his sweater vest with a tightened and Defensive fist.

In his Right mind Noah would have Insulted her Hair Extensions, But Noah Wasn’t In His Right Mind. He Felt Lost, Drowning in Judgment as he Searched The Seas, Distraught and in need of a friend.

Owen Was Sleeping.

Cody Was In The Confessional.

Izzy Was Missing.

Noah Was Alo-

  
  


Izzy.

  
  
  


There was A Click in Noah’s Mind as He Found his Answer.

She Promised.

They Were Friends.

Were They Friends?

It was then Noah felt the tears pooling on top of his clasped hand before shooting out of his seat, and running to the cargo hold. The Last thing He Heard was Courtney’s Scolding, “Oh! Look What You _DID!_ You Totally Made Noah Cry!”

* * *

Once Noah made it to his destination his knees gave out as he held back a sob. His Throat Was Sore, And He Needed To Cry, But What Little Pride He Still Had Stopped Him. He Curled into Himself, holding Himself Tightly as he squeezed his eyes Shut And Tried To Get Over It. Noah felt like he sat at the bottom of an unfathomably deep pit; he had never felt so broken.

When this season had started he had heard that Izzy and Sierra were friends, but he didn’t think that she’d-

She Was His Friend Too.

They Were Good Friends. 

At Least He Thought They Were.

A Sob Fought its way out of Noah's mouth.

He Was Stupid.

He Shouldn’t Have Trusted Her.

He Should Have Known This Would Have Happened.

Izzy Never Kept A Secret.

But This Wasn’t _Any_ Secret!

She Seemed Like She Understood? 

Noah Fought with himself to Stop Crying But It Just Made It Worse.

They Were Friends.

They Were Best Friends.

But of course, Noah can't have Nice Things. 

Another sob gasped out of Noah's mouth as he tried and failed to reign it in. 

This Was Stupid. 

_He Was Stupid._

As Noah laid on the ground, desperate to wake up from what he prayed was some terrible nightmare, he heard something smack against the ground behind him. From where the sound appeared, a voice spoke out, “Are You Okay?” it asked, with a familiar tenderness.

Noah recognized the voice, but he wasn’t ready to confront it as his body shook to quiet his sobs. Izzy approached him, before gingerly laying a hand on his back; She rubbed small circles into it as she said, “Are You Okay?”

This Was Familiar.

_This Was Too Familiar._

He wanted To Yell At Her But He Couldn't Find His Voice.

Izzy moved her hand to Noah’s hair, carefully stroking it with hopes he’d calm down. He Pushed himself up in response, before sliding away from her. He pulled his knees to his chest as he sat, and he refused to look at her. 

Noah became Hyper Aware of his drenched cheeks. 

“ _I’m Fine.”_ He spoke bitterly, though his scratchy voice proved the lie.

“I Heard You Crying From The Vents…” Izzy explained, as she poked her face into his line of sight.

Noah glanced away as he continued sniffling back tears. He stiffened as he noticed Izzy slide herself over, so that she sat across from him. He didn’t know what to do from here. Should he ignore her and leave, pretend like this never happened and hope the others would follow his lead? There was no way the others would show him such decency. They would never let him live any of this down. 

Should He Just Pick Himself Up And Prepare Himself For The Ridicule? On National Television? 

No.

But He Can’t Stay Here.

Not Now.

Izzy placed her hand on his, shocking him, “Noah, What’s Wrong?” 

Noah looked up at her, her Green eyes filled with concern. 

_It Ticked Him Off._

He pulled his hand away as he locked eyes with her, glaring, _“Why Would You Tell Sierra?”_

“What?”

“About My _Teeth!_ Why Would You _Tell Her!_ ” His voice was scraggly and shaky, but he pushed through.

Izzy stared at him as she searched her cluttered brain for an answer. “I Guess… I Told Her A Lot Of Things…?”

“You _Promised.”_

Izzy crossed her arms and looked away, “I’m Sorry.”

For Some Reason, That Wasn't The Answer He Wanted.

“ _YOU SHOULD BE!_ ” Noah was getting worked up again, and he began to hic-up.

“Well I _AM_!” 

“She- _hic -_ She Wrote A _BLOG_ About It!” 

“I Said I Was _SORRY_!”

“MY - _hic-_ BIGGEST SECRET IS HER _-hic-_ BEST POST!!”

“SORRY!”

“SORRY ISN’T GONNA _CUT IT,_ IZZY!”

They stared at each other, eyes locked and teary, before Izzy Stood up and walked towards the open vent. 

Noah didn’t see her for the rest of the flight, and they avoided each other in Paris.

He almost felt guilty not being able to say goodbye in Jamaica.

Almost.

He Had Enough Friends Anyway.


	4. Maybe, Noah Can Have Nice Things.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> World Tour is Over, and The Preparations for the Next Season has finished. Chris had Invited All the Former Contestants, And Noah's Been Dreading it since He Got The News.

This Sucks.

All of the original contestants were sailing to the Dreaded Camp Wawanakwa under Chris’ Request, but that wasn’t what Noah hated. The boat was surprisingly nice, suspiciously nice, and everyone was getting along surprisingly well, suspiciously well. 

Well. Almost Everyone.

Things have been tense between Noah and Izzy since that fateful day, which would be fine if Owen and Eva weren’t still friends with both of them. It felt like every time Noah wanted to hangout with Owen or Vibe with Eva, Izzy was there. Their discomfort was obvious, and it was starting to push their friends away. 

Noah looked across the cabin at Eva, who was talking with Leshawna about something that he wasn’t sure he cared about. He felt mleh about the whole thing; he didn’t want to forgive Izzy, but he also wanted to stay friends with Eva and Owen. He supposed that if he just told them everything it’d be fine, they’d understand. 

Noah ran his tongue over his front teeth as he mulled it over… Even knowing about the blog post, he still wasn’t comfortable sharing.

Only a handful of people are even aware of the incident, presuming they hadn’t told anyone; which as Noah had the thought he put together that they definitely told people. He sighed, realizing that the only people who had no idea of the incident were the two people who it actually affected. 

“Hey, dude, what’s with The Face?” Cody asked as he plopped down next to the brooding boy. 

Noah jumped a little at the sudden company, before leaning back onto the arm of the couch, “I Was Born With It.”

Cody clicked his tongue, “Oh, That Sucks. My Condolences.”

Noah smiled, but it was barely noticeable. 

There was a beat of silence before he continued, “But Seriously, man,” Cody propped his head on the back of the Couch, “What’s Up?” 

Noah looked at Cody, then at the ceiling, debating whether or not he wanted to share with the dweeb. “It’s nothing. Izzy and I Just had a Fight, and now things are Weird with Eva and Owen.” Noah shrugged, “It’s Whatever.” 

“Oh…” Cody sat back and thought about what was said, before turning back to Noah, leaning in and speaking in a hushed voice, “Was it about, Ya’ Know….” he pointed to his own mouth.

Noah stared at him for a moment, before rolling his eyes, “Yes, Cody, It Was About-” He struggled to say it out loud, and so to cover his tracks he mimicked Cody’s gesture as if he were making fun of him.

Nice.

“Who told you?” Noah asked.

“Sierra.” Cody said matter-of-factly, “Did you Know She Made a Blog Post About It?”

“So I Heard.”

"She’s So Weird.” Cody looked back at the stairs to the boats deck where Sierra stood talking to a miffed Heather, “But She’s Tolerable Once You Get To Know Her.”

“I’ll Take Your Word For It.”

There was another pause before Cody once again broke it, “So what are you Gonna Do? About Eva and Owen I Mean?” 

Noah looked forward, frowning, “ I Dunno.”

“Are They, Like, Taking Izzy’s Side?”

“I Don’t Think They Know  _ Why  _ We’re Upset.”

“You Haven’t Told Them?”

“No.”

“Why?” 

Noah turned a glare on the other boy, “What’s Your Deal?”

Cody shrugged, “Just wanted to help I Guess.”

“Well You’re Not.”

“Sorry.”

Noah looked over to Cody, who hung his head sadly, before he sighed. He Wasn’t about to Burn Any More Bridges Than He Had To. Noah frowned, “I Guess I Don’t Like Talking About It.”

“The Fight?” 

“No, The… My… Ya Know.” He pointed at his mouth.

He Felt Stupid.

Cody disagreed as he nodded. “I Understand. And You Know What?” He looked Noah in the eye, smiling a gapped tooth grin, “I’m Sure Your Friends Will, Too.” 

Then a voice echoed through the Cabin, “ALRIGHT!  _ FORMER  _ CAMPERS! MEET UP ON THE DECK FOR THE INTRODUCTION SHOT!!”

The teens groaned at the sound of Chris’ voice, but they obliged.

* * *

Eva didn’t stand with Noah, Owen and Izzy. 

Owen didn’t really  _ stand  _ with them either, Instead he stood hollering at the bow of the ship, leaving Noah with Izzy. 

Izzy was hanging off the side of the railing, messing around with life preservers, nonsense that Noah would have found charming at one time. Cody stood next to Noah, but was currently being held by Sierra. 

Just as Noah was running through his head just how he was going to survive a whole season of this, The boat continued passed the Island and Showed no Signs of Stopping. 

As Noah let out a sigh of relief, Owen cried out, “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” 

Noah rolled his eyes, as he approached his chubby buddy, reaching out to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, “C’mon, pal-”

As his hand made contact with Owens shirt, Izzy’s grabbed onto his arm, “It’s Alright, Big O-”

The two spoke in unison; both stopping immediately once they realized this. The air grew thick as the two looked away from each other, scowling. Owen wasn’t oblivious to the mood, and began to fidget. Noah picked up on this, and turned to walk away, “I’m Gonna Go Hang With Eva.” 

“Okay! Talk To You Later, Pal!” Owen waved, but Izzy didn’t acknowledge him.

* * *

Noah searched the Boat before finding Eva back in the cabin, sitting where he had sat. He noticed that she was sitting alone, which was probably her choice. 

Before he could be a stupid teen, Eva glanced over her shoulder and locked eyes with him. There was a beat before she waved him over. 

Noah let out a sigh, but made his way next to his friend. The two sat in a silence that at one time would have been comfortable, before Eva finally Broke it. She continued to Stare forward, not looking at him, and her face was impossible to read, “So, Are You Gonna Tell Me What You’re Deal Is, Or Not?”

Noah looked at his feet as he thought over what to do, “... I…” He crossed his arms, “It’s nothing. I’m Fine.”

Eva turned to him, “Wanna Try That Again.”

He Did Not.

She sighed, glancing at him from the corner of her eye, taking him in. He refused to look at her, and she could tell something was wrong. Eva looked back to the wall, “I Heard About The Fight.”

Noah turned to her, curious.

She reclined back, as she continued, “You Have a Right To Be Mad, Ya’ Know?” He continued to look at her, before she turned to him, “But She Has A Right To Be Mad, Too.”

“What?!” Noah turned his torso so that he could look at her better, “Why?! I Didn’t DO Anything!”

Eva didn’t falter, as she stared him in the eye, “You Bailed On Her Noah.” she glanced away, an almost unnoticeable twinge of sadness in her voice, “You Bailed On  _ All Of Us. _ ”

Noah wanted to refute, but he was stopped by the memories of interning for Chris. No One Knew where He went, He Made Sure Of It. His own family wasn’t sure, as far as they knew he was working on another Reality TV Show. 

Which was  _ Basically  _ True.

He looked away again, resuming his previous position. 

For Once, He Didn’t Have Anything To Say.

Eva took his silence as an opportunity to continue, “Listen. I Don’t Know  _ Why  _ She Told Sierra.” She shrugged, “You Can’t Really Know Anything When It Comes To Izzy.” Her expression grew stern as she finished, “But I  _ Do  _ Know, That Whatever Friend Pact The Two Of You Had, Went Straight Out The Window When You Disappeared.”

Noah looked to his feet. 

When He Went Off The Grid He Didn’t Think About It.

Well… He Thought About Himself.

It’s Not His Job To Worry About Everyone Else!

And It’s Not Their Job To Worry About Him!

…

...

Crap. 

Noah hated the fact that he sniffled back a tear.

He Hated The Fact That He Was Here. 

He Hated That Any Of This Mattered.

He could feel Eva’s Eyes Still On Him, Watching Him. 

He Felt Judged.

He Felt Stupid. 

….. 

He Felt Like A Jerk. 

Eva took in a deep breath as she finally looked back to the wall, “So,” Noah glanced at her as She spoke, “If All You Want Is An Apology and For Her To Admit Some Kind Of ‘Wrong Doing’,” She Looked Over at him one Last Time, “Then I Think You Should Get Over Yourself And Do The Same.”

The two marinated in a thoughtful silence, before she stood up from the Couch. Putting a firm hand on his shoulder she spoke, “Nice Talking To You Again, Nerd.” She turned to the stairs, “I’m Gonna Go Get Some Fresh Air.”

To the untrained person, one may have gathered that Eva was upset, but as she walked away Noah could tell she wasn’t mad. 

She Cared.

She Was Worried.

But She Wasn’t Mad.

…

And In This Moment… 

He Could Relate…

* * *

Noah sat alone on that couch for quite a while taking in what Eva said. He was hunched over, looking at his feet as he wrung his hands together in thought. Friendship was Never Really his Forte, and he Knew That, but He Didn’t think it was this Bad.

He sighed as he rubbed his hands against his face, letting out a sigh that transformed into a frustrated groan, before setting his elbows on his legs and resting his face in his palms. All of these emotions left him tired, and he wanted the day to End.

Sitting in lazy silence, face cradled, he felt someone sit next to him. At this point he didn't have any cares left to give, and ignored the arrival. That’s what he thought, until they spoke.

“Hey…” They said, with shocking sadness.

Noah’s mouth went dry, and in spite of himself he glanced up at the sound. Izzy sat next to him, but she was looking the opposite way, rubbing her arm. He looked back to his feet, keeping his overall position, but now letting his arms drape over his legs, “Hey.”

There was a soul gnawing Silence that the two Fidgeted under.

The Unbearable Pressure Was Suffocating. 

“Sorry.” Echoed through their ears.

They looked towards each other, shocked, neither expecting the other to also apologize. 

“What?” They questioned.

They stared at each other in bafflement, before turning away to find their words. Izzy opened her mouth to speak, but Noah beat her to it. 

“I’m…” He rubbed his hand together as he took in a breath, “I’m Sorry for Disappearing, or Whatever….” He looked the opposite direction to where Izzy was as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I Guess… I Didn’t Think It Mattered.”

Izzy watched him as he spoke, turning her direction to the ground when she replied, “It Kinda Did.”

“I Know, I-”

“It’s Fine.” she crossed her arms, “Well, I Mean I’m Over It….. Well….” She glanced at him, “I Mean I Forgive You.” he watched her as she continued, “Me and Owen were Talking and… He Said He Didn’t Think You Meant To Stop Being Friends, or…” she sniffled a little, “ Or To Abandon Us….”

Noah looked at his old friend as she held back tears, he wanted to help her, but he didn’t know how. He’s not used to this side of things, and he felt lost. 

Helpless. 

He reached out in some feeble attempt to comfort her, before stopping himself and pulling back. He rested his hands in his lap, moving his gaze to them as he rubbed his Thumbs against each other. 

“I Didn’t.” he finally said, before looking back at her, only to find her doing the same, “I… Didn’t Mean To…. Hurt Anybody…..” He looked down, “To Hurt You.”

Izzy continued to sniffle, wiping her hand over her face to catch a stray tear, “This is So Crazy,” she gave a half hearted laugh, “I Don’t Know Why I’m Doing This..” She sniffled with a chuckle, “I’m Such a baby!” She Laughed again. 

“It’s Ok.” Noah looked around, “You’re Ok….. Cryings Ok….. Champ…?” He awkwardly thumped his knuckles against her shoulder.

Izzy laughed, but this time it felt more genuine, more light, “Wow! You Suck At This!”

In Spite of himself, he couldn’t help but snicker a little, “Whatever.” He leaned back into the couch.

The two relaxed for a moment, things felt normal again; until they remembered what was happening. Izzy crossed her arms again, looking over to Noah, “I’m Sorry For Telling Sierra About Your Human Teeth.” 

Noah also Crossed his arms, shrugging, “It’s Fine…” He glanced away, “I Mean… It’s Not  _ Fine. _ ” He looked at her with a faint, yet forced smile, “I’ll Get Over It.”

Izzy wasn’t done, “I Guess..” she looked away again, “ I Guess, When We Talked…. Back On The Island I Mean… I Thought You Just Meant Don’t Tell The Other Campers?” She glanced back at him, “ I Didn’t Think You Meant EVERYONE!” She looked at him fully, “Ya’ Know?”

He shrugged.

“Also…” She looked fully away from him, but he could hear the break in her voice, “I Kinda Thought… We Weren’t Friends Anymore…” 

Noah looked at her with rare fully opened eyes, “Are We?”

She turned to him, cheeks streaked with freshly fallen tears, “It’d Be Neat…”

“Yeah...” He said as he once again turned away.

They sat in mostly silence, the only sounds being far off conversations and Izzy’s Sniffles. 

Noah Turned back to her, concern radiating from his eyes, “Are you OK?” His voice spoke with a faint tenderness.

She ran her arm across her eyes as she gave a particularly hard sniffle, “Yeah…” 

She was looking at the ground, and Noah was looking over his shoulder, trying to weigh his options.

In an uncharacteristic moment of speed, Noah quickly wrapped his arms around Izzy, giving her a little squeeze. 

The Hug ended as soon as it started.

He stood up, and Izzy watched him curiously.

Noah crossed his arms as he turned to her, “So.. Do You Wanna Go Find Owen And Eva? I Think I Heard There's A Buffet Table in one of The Top Sections? You Guys Could Have An Eating Contest Or Whatever…. And I Could Like…. Judge?”

Izzy smiled tenderly, before her more mischievous spirit shined through, giving her eyes one last wipe, she looked to him “Depends, Are You Gonna Take People's Bets For The Winner?” She raised a brow, “And If So, Do I Get Half?”

A No-Good-Smirk creeped its way onto Noah’s Face, “You’ll Get 20%,” He turned to go, “ _ If  _ I’m Feeling Nice.”

Izzy Jumped up, Nearly knocking him down as she wrapped her arm around him, “We Can Negotiate Later.” She then let go, elbowing him in the side, “RACE YA!”

And with that, she was sprinting up to the deck, hollering for Eva and Owen as she went.

Noah stared at the stairs; his mouth stretched into a fond smile, ever so slightly showing off is ‘Human Teeth’.

Maybe, Noah Can Have Nice Things.


End file.
